The Boston Ranter: Slanted Vignettes from a Native New Englander by Layden Robinson

Summary

The Boston Ranter: Slanted Vignettes from a Native New Englander is described on Amazon as:

"This autobiographical novella was inspired by my life growing up outside of Boston. Comedic, dramatic and quite revealing; this latest title will truly show why I am the raving lunatic I am today."

Review

The book's description seems pretty apt as the author shares some random memories and facts about the protagonist's life that are organized into chapters with helpfully descriptive titles. The author does a really good job of flavoring his words with a Bostonian accent through creative spelling of common words while effectively conveying the environment that he grew up in.

The book is filled with ribald humor and language as well as numerous drug references. While I found some parts of the book humorous, such as the protagonist's philosophy on Girl Scout cookies; I was a bit taken aback by the account of an alien abduction. I was further puzzled by the author's use of the "f-bomb;" I am not morally opposed to it, I just found it odd that the author vacillated between spelling it with a Bostonian accent and without the Bostonian accent (fuh# vs. fu#$).

I felt like the book's pace was a bit quick because the author did not really linger on one subject matter for too long. As a result, I was unable to connect with the protagonist, or his story because readers are only getting a superficial glimpse of the protagonist.

I am honestly unsure of how I feel about the book; I did not dislike it, but I did not really like it. I was expecting something a little less superficial and more in-depth; anything that would allow me to feel a connection with the protagonist and his story.

More Information

To find out more about Layden Robinson, or The Boston Ranter: Slanted Vignettes from a Native New Englander: